Berlin for FREE

Berlin is a world-class city with hundreds of years of history to absorb and explore. It has been the hub of many meaningful events and there is evidence of that almost everywhere you look, from the Brandenburg Gate to Sanssouci Palace. Admission prices vary, but I know of a few things that can work for anyone's budget and those things are all free!

What better way to orientate yourself with this big, lively city than to take a free walking or bike tour. The tours, starting from the Berlin Tourist Information Office last 3 ½ hours and take you past some of the biggest attractions such as Hitler's bunker, Checkpoint Charlie and Museum Island.

Whatever else you're interested in you can't go to Berlin without taking a picture next to the ruins of the Berlin Wall. There's a fence around it now so crazy tourists don't hammer off any more souvenir pieces, but it's free to visit and so is the Visitor Center next door which has more information on the wall's history.

Remember those lost during the Holocaust, another dark chapter in Berlin's history, by walking through the Berlin Holocaust Memorial which is dedicated to the murdered Jews of Europe. It is located next to the Tiergarten on Ebertstrass and deliberately designed to give a feeling of disorientation. Similar waves of total confusion will assault you when visiting the Museum Sachsenhausen. Just outside the city this museum was a real concentration camp, known as one of the most notorious Holocaust death camps, and now serves to remind us of this sad era of Berlin's history.

Explore the lighter, or at least the more artistic side, of Berlin's history in the massive Pergamon Museum, which is free to all on Thursday nights. Huge gates and statues from ancient buildings and other smaller artifacts have been rebilt for display here.

Isn't it nice to know that in a city as historical and popular with travellers as Berlin, there are a few things that you can share for free and these attractions set a great base-itinerary for you and your history-loving self to enjoy a few days in Berlin.